Texas Aggie Bar Association TABA Blog

Distinguished Aggie Lawyer Nominations and Scholarship Applications

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 14:21:07 GMT

Nomination forms for the 2020 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer and scholarship applications are now available!

Register for the 21st Annual Conference!

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 14:19:02 GMT

Registration for the 21st Annual Conference is now open! Click here for more information and to register!

Register now for the TABA Annual Tailgate!

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 19:08:41 GMT

Don't miss the TABA Annual Tailgate on October 26, 2019 when we BTHO Mississippi State!

Click here to register. If you would like to be a sponsor, click here.

New Job Postings!

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 12:40:17 GMT

Check out the job board for three open positions! Must be a member to view.

Chancellor Sharp joins us as the keynote speaker at this year's TABA conference!

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 20:43:23 GMT

We are excited to welcome Chancellor Sharp as our keynote speaker at the evening banquet of our 19th Annual TABA Conference! Register now, so you don't miss out on this great event!

Register now for the 19th Annual TABA Conference!

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 16:22:33 GMT

Registration is now open for the 19th Annual TABA Conference on March 2-3, 2018 in College Station. Please visit our Annual Conference page for more information or click on one links below to register.

For your convenience, a block of rooms has been reserved at The George, College Station's newest luxury boutique hotel! Not only is it close to campus, the hotel is located in the heart of great dining, shopping and entertainment. Be sure and book your room by February 15, 2018 to take advantage of the discounted rates below.

The George

180 Century Court

College Station, TX 77840

Group Code: TABA134

Rate: $139 per night

https://www.thegeorgetexas.com

Register for the conference using one of the following links!

ATTORNEY MEMBER CLE AND OPTIONAL EVENTS REGISTRATION

STUDENT MEMBER CLE AND OPTIONAL EVENTS REGISTRATION

OPTIONAL EVENTS ONLY (NO CLE) REGISTRATION

Texas A&M School of Law reception for attorneys and students October 30th and 31st

Jason Mills — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 17:56:49 GMT

You are cordially invited to a Lawyer and Law Student reception.

Please click the invitation below to RSVP.

Join the Texas Aggie Bar for free CLEs across Texas!

Jason Mills — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 14:53:12 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is launching a new program that you don’t want to miss!

Members are invited to join us for free networking, free lunch, and free CLE, including ethics. It’s just one more benefit of being a member of the Texas Aggie Bar Association.

· Ft. Worth, October 30, 11:30-1:00 – Executive Professor Randy Gordon, Antitrust Compliance

o Texas A&M University School of Law, 1515 Commerce Street, Ft. Worth, Texas 76102

· San Antonio, October 30, 11:30-1:00 – Professor Mark Burge, Navigating the (Not Quite) Free Market for Contractual Choice of Law

o TAMU School of Law San Antonio Center, 711 Navarro Street (a/k/a Travis Park Plaza), Second Floor, San Antonio, Texas 78205

· Dallas, October 31, 11:30-1:00 – Professor Gabriel Eckstein, Texas Water Law 101

o Haynes and Boone, 2323 Victory Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75219

· Austin, Oct. 30 , 11:30-1:00 – Executive Professor and Associate Dean William Byrnes, Risk Management

o Scott Douglas McConnico, 303 Colorado Street, Suite 2400, Austin, TX 78701

Seating is limited. RSVP to info@aggielaw.org by October 26 and let us know which event you plan to attend.

Mark your calendars for future CLEs the weeks of January 22 and April 2! (And we’ll be adding Houston!)

Thank you to the Texas A&M University School of Law, Scott Douglas McConnico, and Haynes and Boone for co-sponsoring our October programs.

Have an idea for a CLE? Want to co-sponsor or host a CLE at your office? Email us at info@aggielaw.org.

T Shirt Sale to Support Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

Jason Mills — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 20:06:16 GMT

Howdy Ags,

The Texas Aggie Bar Association wanted to lend a hand to the relief efforts in Houston and other areas affected by Hurricane Harvey. We are selling T- shirts to assist in this effort. The T shirts look great and have the TABA logo embossed on the front. 100% of the revenue received from the shirts bought between now and November 1st will go directly to the relief effort. The shirts will be on sale at the tailgate for $15.00. We will accept cash or checks only for these T-shirts so please pick one up if you are stopping attending. We will also have an order form online soon. In the meantime please email us if you are interested in a T-shirt. All proceeds will go towards The Hurricane Harvey Fund of the Greater Houston Community Foundation which will assist not only Houston but outlying areas in Texas affected as well.

Tony Buzbee to Receive 2017 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer Award

John Mitchell — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 22:17:39 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is pleased to announce that Anthony G. Buzbee '90 has been selected as the 2017 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer! Mr. Buzbee will be honored (and TAMU President Michael K. Young will be the Keynote Speaker) at the Saturday night banquet as part of the 18th Annual Conference of the Texas Aggie Bar Association on March 4, 2017. Congrats to Mr. Buzbee!

Announcing the Texas Aggie Bar Association 2017 Scholarship Recipients

John Mitchell — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 23:31:38 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is proud to announce that Tamara Hyndman '16, Brandon Bucio '17, Fanny Turcios '14 and Marcos De Hoyos '17 have been selected as the 2017 TABA Scholarship Recipients.

The scholarships will be presented at the TABA's 18th Annual Conference Reception and Banquet at the Memorial Student Center on Saturday, March 4, 2017. The banquet will also honor the 2017 Aggie Lawyer of the Year. Current finalists are Bill Youngkin ‘69, Hon. Joe Spurlock ’60, and Tony Buzbee ‘90.

For more information and to register for the Annual Conference, please visit: www.aggielaw.org. The TABA appreciates our sponsors for this year's conference:

The Texas Aggie Bar Association congratulates the Scholarship Recipients and all of the scholarship applicants and wishes them great success in law school. The future of the legal profession is bright.

TABA Announces its 2017 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer Finalists!

John Mitchell — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 23:27:10 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Associations is proud to announce its 2017 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer Award finalists:

Anthony G. Buzbee '90 - The Buzbee Law Firm

Hon. Joe C. Spurlock, II, ’60 - Professor of Law; Director of the AsianJudicial Institute, Texas A&M University School of Law

Bill Youngkin ‘69 - Youngkin & Doss, PLLC

Congratulations to all of our finalists! The winner of the 2017 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer Award will be announced on Friday, February 17 and will be honored (along with the 2017 TABA Scholarship Recipients) at the Saturday night banquet as part of the 18th Annual Conference of the Texas Aggie Bar Association on March 4, 2017.

To aid in the selection process, the selection committee welcomes any letters of recommendation, endorsements, or good-bull stories about any of our finalists.

Please submit all materials electronically at info@aggielaw.org with the subject line as "TABA DISTINGUISHED LAWYER 2017" by Tuesday, February 14, 2017.

Previous winners of the Distinguished Aggie Lawyer Award (FKA Aggie Lawyer of the Year) include Otway Denny (2000), Joseph Searcy Bracewell, Jr. (2001), Henry Gilchrist (2002), James "Jimmy" Bond (2003), W. Mike Baggett (2004), Arno Krebs (2005), The Honorable Willie E.B. Blackmon (2006), John White (2007), Louie Gohmert (2008), Fred McClure (2009), Bill Jones (2010), Bob Surovik (2011), Jim Creel (2012), Chuck Ellison (2013), Fidel Rodriguez '73 (2014) and Richard Kardys, '67 (2015) and Doug Barlow (2016). Pre-2000 Aggie Lawyers of the Year include Greg Laughlin, Kent Caperton, Mike Swan, Abelardo L. "Lalo" Yaldez, Justice C.L. Ray, James DeAnda, Mayo Thompson, Judge Ed Coulson, Garland Walker, Angus McSwain, and John Lawrence.

For more details on the 18th Annual Conference, and to register online, please visit the TABA website at www.aggielaw.org. Special thanks to our sponsors:

Aggie Owned and Operated Houston Galleria-Area Firm Seeks Lawyer

Kenneth Krock — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 18:52:52 GMT

Eight attorney Galleria-area law firm is seeking a business and transactional associate or senior associate with knowledge and experience of general corporate, real estate and employment matters. Candidates should have at least five years of experience in drafting and negotiating business transactional documents, employment agreements, and general business contracts. A book of business is a plus, but is not required. Please forward resume and salary requirement to Rapp & Krock, PC, attention: Krystle Kral, e-mail kkral@rk-lawfirm.com or facsimile 713-759-9967.

TAMU Law School Dean Morriss to speak at the Dallas A&M Club Lunch Friday, May 6, 2016

John Mitchell — Tue, 03 May 2016 02:27:38 GMT

Dean Morriss to speak at the

Dallas A&M Club Lunch

Dean Andrew Morriss, will be the featured guest speaker at the Dallas A&M Club lunch. Details are below:

Friday, May 6

11:30 a.m. lunch

Noon presentation

1 p.m. conclusion

The Eberhard

2107 N. Henderson Avenue

Dallas, 75206

11th Annual Tarrant County Bar Aggie Muster April 20th 3pm Tarrant County Courthouse

Kenneth Krock — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 16:51:28 GMT

11^th Annual

ATM

Courthouse Muster

Howdy!

It is that time of year again.

The Tarrant county Courthouse muster will be on Wednesday,

April 20, 2016 . We will meet at angelo’s bbq starting around 3:00 PM.

Come share your stories and memories of Texas a&m along with us. Feel free to invite any

aggie judges, lawyers, Law Students or others who you think need to join us.

“If there is an A&M man in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.”

Article from the Eagle: Douglas Barlow '76 & '16 awarded TABA Distinguished Lawyer

Kenneth Krock — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 17:51:54 GMT

http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/aggie-lawyer-recognized-with-lifetime-achievement-award-for-contributions-in/article_ce564183-18cd-531d-a81b-92a4e98b9168.html

TABA Howdy Hours tonight January 21, 2016 !!!!

Kenneth Krock — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 20:52:22 GMT

Please join us this evening for our TABA Howdy Hours around the state!!! Check the events list for locations in your city.

Gig 'em.

Kenneth M. Krock '93

President

Texas Aggie Bar Association

TABA Howdy Hours rescheduled from January 7, 2016 to January 14, 2016

Kenneth Krock — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 23:03:58 GMT

Howdy TABA Members

The Texas Aggie Bar Association plans to reschedule its normal January Howdy Hour from January 7, 2016 to January 14, 2016 for all cities. We are working on some new venues for some cities and need a few extra days to get those worked out. Please check the TABA website and look for emails in the next few days which will provide additional details.

Gig 'em

Ken Krock '93 - President, Texas Aggie Bar Association

TABA Now Accepting Applications for 2016 Scholarships

Kenneth Krock — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:18:55 GMT

Howdy, Aggies!

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is now accepting applications for the 2016 TABA Scholarships.

The TABA scholarships assist Aggie law students with law school expenses. Eligibility for this scholarship requires the applicant to meet the following criteria: The applicant must either (1) be a student or former student who has completed at least 40 undergraduate hours at Texas A&M University and intends to begin or otherwise will be in law school in the Fall of 2016, or (2) you have been accepted to Texas A&M University School of Law and will begin enrollment at or otherwise will be attending Texas A&M University School of Law in the Fall of 2016.

Additional conditions and eligibility requirements are included in the Scholarship Application available here: TABA Scholarship 2016 Application Form

Applications must be received no later than 4 p.m. (CST) on 1/14/2016 at the following e-mail address:TABAscholarship@gmail.com.

Texas A&M Law Review Symposium October 30, 2015

Kenneth Krock — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 03:04:31 GMT

Texas A&M Law Review Presents:

Farm to Table: Agriculture Law in the Era of Sustainability

Friday, October 30, 2015

Texas A&M University School of Law Conference Center

Flyer

Schedule

The Texas A&M Law Review is pleased to announce our fall 2015 symposium entitled: Farm to Table: Agriculture Law in the Era of Sustainability. As Aggies are well aware, Texas A&M is committed to finding solutions to feed our world, protect our environment, improve our health, and grow the economy. The Law Review and the Texas A&M School of Law are committed to this mission and the exploration of law and agriculture through this Symposium.

The symposium will facilitate scholarly discussion regarding the current legal framework for agriculture and address specific questions such as whether that framework is equipped to handle emerging sustainability issues related to water, infrastructure, crop development, and livestock. Our goal is to host a symposium that will result in proposals which ensure the current legal framework conforms with emerging sustainability trends in the broad area of agriculture law. We are pleased that Dr. Mark Hussey of Texas A&M University and Professor James Chen of Michigan State University will be joining us as keynote speakers. The symposium will feature panels focusing on critical legal issues facing farm and ranch land sustainability, the future of crop and food sustainability, and sustainable animal agriculture.

Tailgate is Sold out!!

Kenneth Krock — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 22:32:49 GMT

Tailgate 2015 is sold out. Look forward to seeing everyone there and BTHO of Miss. St.

New Job Posting in Members Section

Kenneth Krock — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 16:37:04 GMT

There is New Job Posting in the Members' only Section

New Job Posting in Members Section

Kenneth Krock — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:14:11 GMT

There is a new job posting in the members section

Money Magazine Ranks A&M No. 1 In Texas, 6th in Public Universities, and 20th Overall

Kenneth Krock — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 20:11:19 GMT

Money magazine released its 2015-2016 college rankings and ranked Texas A&M 20th on its list of Best Colleges in the nation. A&M was ranked sixth among public universities on the list and number one in Texas. A&M also earned the top spot on Money's list of Best Colleges You Can Actually Get Into. For the full article Money Magazine Article

Debra Ibarra Mayfield '96 Confirmed as Judge, 165th District Court

Kenneth Krock — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 20:47:11 GMT

Debra Ibarra Mayfield, Texas A&M class of 1996, has been appointed by Governor Greg Abbott and unanimously confirmed by the Texas Senate as Judge of the 165th District Court of Harris County, Texas.

Judge Mayfield had been serving as the Judge of Harris County Civil Court At Law Number One since she was appointed by unanimous vote of the Commissioners' Court in 2011. She was twice elected in 2012 and 2014 to that bench. She also served as Administrative Judge over the Harris County courts in 2015.

Prior to her taking the bench, Judge Mayfield was a partner in a mid-sized defense firm where she had an active statewide trial and appellate practice.

She is the past president of the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston (MABAH) and has been awarded the distinction of a "Woman on the Move" by Texas Executive Women, the Amicus Award by MAHBAH, and the Public Service Award by South Texas College of Law.

For more information about Judge Mayfield, please visit www.debramayfield.com.

TABA Soliciting Ideas for Member Programs, Events, and Benefits

Kenneth Krock — Fri, 08 May 2015 22:29:38 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is soliciting ideas for other programs, events, and benefits that TABA can offer to its members consistent with its charitable purposes. TABA remains a charitable organization with the charitable goals of supporting through scholarship Aggies who are beginning law school as well as networking with fellow Aggie lawyers. TABA already hosts its Annual Tailgate; Annual Social, Annual Conference, and Annual Banquet; Howdy Hours; and other networking functions throughout the year. TABA also recognizes Aggie lawyers through its annual Aggie Lawyer of the Year award and supports Aggies entering law school with its annual scholarships. Of course, we are an all volunteer organization with limited resources so we have to carefully consider the demand any potential program, event or benefit would have on our resources. Accordingly, not every idea can be implemented. Please send your ideas to Ken Krock, President, TABA at info@aggielaw.org. TABA's Board will meet for a day long planning session in late June to consider your ideas. Gig 'em!!

No May 2015 TABA Howdy Hours

Kenneth Krock — Fri, 08 May 2015 22:24:19 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is working to revamp its Happy Hours and some of the other networking events we offer to our members. As a result, TABA will not host any Howdy Hours this quarter. The next Howdy Hours will be in August 2015. Please check back to this website for more information after June.

16th Annual Conference Sets Attendance Records

Kenneth Krock — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 21:40:51 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association’s 16^th Annual Conference set records for attendance during its on March 7-8, 2015 conference in College Station. On March 7, 2015, the Association kicked off its annual conference with its Friday Night Social. More than 90 people total (50 Aggie lawyers and their guests) set a record participating in the Social and enjoying good drink, good food, and good bull at the Chicken Oil Company. The next day the Annual Conference hosted more than 90 Aggie attorneys from around Texas and the United States. The following evening more than 120 people set a record for attendance at the Conference’s Annual Banquet at the Memorial Student Center, where they honored the 2015 winners of the Association’s scholarships (Mu Lin "Chris" Hsu '14, Atanasio Fernandez Sanchez '14, and Bethany Howell '14) and 2015 Aggie Lawyer of the Year, Richard Kardys ’67. Mr. Kardys was also recently named by Texas A&M as a Distinguished Alumnus. Other former ALOY winners were in attendance including, Fidel Rodriguez, Jr. (2014), Charles “Chuck” Ellison (2013), James A. Creel (2012), Bob Surovik (2011), Judge Willie E. B. Blackmon (2006), Arno Krebs (2005), and Otway Denny (2000). The Texas Aggie Bar Association continues its mission (i) to provide scholarship and other support for pre-law undergraduates of Texas A&M University, law school students who are former students of Texas A&M University, and law school students enrolled in the Texas A&M University School of Law; (ii) to promote lawyers who are former students of Texas A&M University; and (iii) to provide for continuing education of lawyers. For further information, please contact the Texas Aggie Bar Association at info@aggielaw.org

Richard Kardys '67 Named 2015 Aggie Lawyer of the Year

Sat, 07 Feb 2015 19:53:11 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is proud to announce that Richard Kardys '67 has been named the 2015 Aggie Lawyer of the Year.

Mr. Kardys is a resident of San Antonio and a 1967 graduate of Texas A&M University. After graduating from Texas A&M, Mr. Kardys attended the University of Texas School of Law from which he graduated in 1970. He was then admitted to practice in Texas and before the US Supreme Court. He served as a USAF JAG Officer and Reserve JAG Officer, received the Air Force Commendation Medal and other awards for service, and was honorably discharged as a captain in 1976.

Mr. Kardys is the Group Executive Vice President responsible for Frost Wealth Advisors, which includes trust, investments, and brokerage at Frost Bank.

While a student at Texas A&M, Mr. Kardys was a member of the Corps of Cadets. He served as a member of the Ross Volunteer Company, Firing Squad, and as the commander of Squadron 8.

Mr. Kardys served on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Board for the Texas A&M Association of Former Students. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Texas A&M Foundation in 2012 and continues to serve on that Board today. He is a member of the Ambassadors Council and Champions Council of the 12th Man Foundation, the Texas A&M Planned Giving Council, the Legacy Society, and was a member of the Vision 2020 Campaign Leadership Council. He was a capital contributor for the Clayton Williams Center (AFS Building) - Core Values "Respect" Wall, the MSC, the Lohmann Center, Olsen Field, and Kyle Field Re-Design and Configuration. He has also served on the board of the San Antonio A&M Club and as senior advisor to the board.

Mr. Kardys was president and/or chairman of the boards of the San Antonio Kiwanis Club, Hospice San Antonio, San Antonio Volunteer Center, San Antonio Business Volunteer Center, National Conference of Christian and Jews, San Antonio Estate Planners Council, and the Federal Bar Association of San Antonio.

He is a trustee for the Oblate School of Theology and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute.

He is married to Jessie Bell Mathis, and they have two sons, Chris ('97) and Clark ('99), and three grandchildren. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Kardys on his selection as the 2015 Aggie Lawyer of the Year!

The Texas Aggie Bar Association congratulates all of the nominees and finalists for this award. You make us all proud to be Aggie lawyers.

Mr. Kardys and the TABA Scholarship Recipients will be honored at the Annual Conference Reception and Banquet at the Memorial Student Center on Saturday, March 7, 2015. We hope to see you all at the Annual Conference. Register today at www.aggielaw.org.

New Job Posting in the Members' Section

Fri, 21 Nov 2014 04:05:05 GMT

Please visit the job board to review the latest job postings.

New Job Posting in the Members' Section

Tue, 12 Aug 2014 13:57:05 GMT

Please visit the job board to review the latest job postings.

New Job Posting in the Members' Section

Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:24:01 GMT

Please visit the job board to review the latest job postings.

Austin Ags, Invited to CCAMC Reveille Speaker and Networking Event

Dan Price — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 16:38:17 GMT

New Reveille Speaker & Networking Event- Ernest Cunningham '94 - 7/17/14

Join the CCAMC and Ernest Cunningham '94, President and CEO of One Source Networks (OSN) for an exclusive networking opportunity on July 17th!

We are hosting this event at an off-site comprehensive data center facility. We would like to thank Mr. Cunningham and One Source Networks for this opportunity, as well as New York Life for providing space for the event.

This event will include a tour of the OSN data center facility, an exclusive opportunity for a roundtable discussion and Q&A with Mr. Cunningham and his team, and networking with Austin-area Aggies and leaders. There is limited availability for this event so be sure to register today at the link above.

Reception for Dean Andrew Morriss, Texas A&M School of Law - July 17, 2014, Dallas, Texas

Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:25:18 GMT

Andrew Morriss Named Dean of Texas A&M School of Law

Thu, 01 May 2014 21:49:19 GMT

A nationally prominent legal scholar known for his work in a variety of regulatory issues, as well as for his teaching background, Andrew Morriss, PhD, JD, is the new dean of the Texas A&M University School of Law, effective July 1.

Prof. Morriss’ selection to lead the Fort Worth-based law school that Texas A&M acquired last year was approved Thursday (May 1) by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents upon the unanimous recommendation of Chancellor John Sharp, interim President Mark Hussey and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Karan Watson.

Prof. Morriss, who holds a Ph.D. degree in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in addition to his JD earned at The University of Texas at Austin, is currently the D. Paul Jones, Jr. & Charlene A. Jones Chairholder of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. He is an acknowledged leader regarding regulatory issues involving environmental, energy and offshore financial centers.

He was the successful candidate in a national search that produced more than 60 nominations.

"Carol and I are thrilled to get to be part of the team at Texas A&M," Morriss said. "This is a unique opportunity in American legal education, combining the excellent faculty, staff and students at the law school with one of America’s premier research universities." His wife, Dr. Carol Akers, is a graduate of Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

Chancellor Sharp underscored his commitment to move the new school into the top ranks.

"I have said since the beginning, we are committed to seeing the Texas A&M School of Law quickly become acknowledged as a leader in legal education," he said. "Our unique commitment to teaching and service to the state of Texas will be our hallmark in this endeavor just as it has been over the 137- year history of Texas A&M University. These strategic investments and the appointment of Dr. Morriss as the inaugural Anthony G. Buzbee Dean only accelerate our efforts in this regard."

In separate action taken by the regents, Chancellor Sharp received authority to provide $5 million from the Available University Fund (AUF) for the law school now and up to $20 million over the next five years on a dollar-for-dollar basis regarding funds raised in the private sector. The AUF represents proceeds from the Permanent University Fund to enhance excellence in teaching, research and related initiatives. Fundraising and donor engagement activities are already under way.

Additionally, the chancellor cited the recent million-dollar donation by Regent Tony Buzbee and his wife, Zoe, to establish an endowment for the sitting dean of the law school. The Anthony G. Buzbee Dean’s Endowed Chair is the first-ever endowment gift of its kind dedicated to law school faculty, specifically the dean.

"We are poised to make tremendous strides in a very short period of time for not only the long-awaited law school at Texas A&M, but on the profession of law in our state, " noted Regent Buzbee, himself an attorney. "My family and I are proud to play a small part in helping this school of law advance these efforts." He is the founding partner of the firm that bears his name and has offices in Houston, Galveston and Edinburg.

In joining in the recommendation to the board, interim President Hussey noted: "Prof. Morriss has not only distinguished himself in his field of scholarship, but comes to us with unique perspective as a faculty member who was integrally involved in enhancing two previous schools of law. Serving at the University of Illinois as it advanced from the Top 100 to No. 23 and at the University of Alabama, which advanced from Top 80 to No. 23."

Provost Watson, to whom Morriss will report, emphasized the broad-based support for his selection. "The search committee, faculty and university leadership who interacted with Prof. Morriss during this process were complimentary of his accomplishments, experience and demeanor towards the unique opportunity our law school presents," she noted. "His scholarship and exceptional record of teaching focuses on key regulatory issues facing our state and nation, and his vision for legal education will serve us well in enhancing our newly acquired law school."

In addition to his law and Ph.D. degrees, Prof. Morriss holds a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University and a master of public affairs degree from UT-Austin.

Following law school, he clerked for U. S. District Judge Barefoot Sanders in the Northern District of Texas and worked two years at Texas Rural Legal Aid in Hereford and Plainview.

Texas A&M School of Law Bar Pass Rate Ranked Third in Texas

Thu, 01 May 2014 12:59:14 GMT

With a pass rate of 87.5 percent, Texas A&M University School of Law had the third highest pass rate of the nine Texas law schools for first-time examinees on the February Texas Bar Exam, as reported by the Board of Law Examiners. Forty-two Aggie law examinees passed the exam out of 48 who took the test for the first time in February. The state average first-time examinee pass rate was 80.28 percent.

“I’m thrilled with the success of our graduates on the February Bar Exam,” said Interim Dean Aric Short. “They have worked extraordinarily hard, and they should be proud of their accomplishments. These impressive results confirm the strength of our academic program and the support we provide each student. With the additional resources we expect to add soon, the future is even brighter for the law school.”

This success is credited to the combined efforts made by administration lead by Dean Short, the faculty and staff member Marta Miller, Director of Academic Support who strategized based off of July’s test numbers and ultimately enhanced student performance.

The Preparing for the Bar course was offered for the first time last fall to Texas A&M University School of Law students. The rigorous course and supplemental workshops, such as Bar Exam Boot Camps and the Bar Mentoring program, provided a strong scaffolding to build the best prepared students resulting in bar passage success. In the Bar Mentoring program, students are matched with a practicing attorney who was successful on the bar exam to receive the coaching necessary to excel on the test that measures whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.

“I felt tremendous personal responsibility for the February results and gave every ounce of energy I had,” Miller said. “Bar exam passage or failure, however, does not rest solely on the shoulders of one individual. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the support of our amazing staff and faculty. The real glory belongs to the students. I feel lucky to have been part of their journey to bar exam success.”

For a full report from the Board of Law Examiners, visit: http://www.ble.state.tx.us/pdfs/Statistics/2014Feb.pdf.

A&M Regent Anthony G. Buzbee Commits $1 Million for Texas A&M School of Law

Dan Price — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 13:18:37 GMT

Texas A&M Regent Anthony G. Buzbee and his law firm gave a $1 million endowment to Texas A&M University School of Law in April. The Anthony G. Buzbee Dean’s Endowed Chair is the first-ever endowment gift of its kind dedicated to faculty, specifically the dean.

“Regent Buzbee’s extraordinary generosity will allow Texas A&M law school to invest in key strategic areas of programmatic development and hiring. I see this gift as support for the vision and trajectory we are pursuing at the law school,” said Interim Dean Aric Short.

“This is a moment of transformation for our law school, and this unprecedented financial gift reflects the incredibly supportive Texas A&M community we’ve joined. This endowment will allow us to further develop innovative, interdisciplinary, and high-impact programs that will prepare our students for the practice of law they will face in the future,” he said.

Texas A&M Regent Anthony G. Buzbee endows
$1 million to Texas A&M School of Law to create the
Anthony G. Buzbee Dean's Endowed Chair

Buzbee is a prominent attorney who is the founding partner of The Buzbee Law Firm with locations in Houston, Galveston and Edinburg. A leader at the top of his profession, Buzbee of Houston, Texas, received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University and a law degree summa cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center. He also serves on the Texas A&M Board of Regents.

“I hope to encourage others to give," Buzbee said. "I am proud of the school and know we’ll be successful. I think those who are successful have an obligation to give back if they can. The law practice has been good to me, and I’m proud that we Aggies now have our own law school.” Buzbee further comments that he wants to make sure the school is fully integrated into the Aggie System.

His leadership is demonstrated not only through his gift, but also through his service to his college. While at Texas A&M he served as a Battalion Commander in the Corps of Cadets and was named a Distinguished Naval Graduate as well as a Distinguished Student and was recognized as Outstanding Commander in the Corps of Cadets. The Buzbee Leadership Learning Center, located on the College Station Quad, is named in his honor. Buzbee says these achievements shaped his life and further instilled a sense of loyalty and desire to set an example for others.

Buzbee served in the United States Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf and Somalian conflicts, earning the rank of Captain, where he received various awards including the prestigious Navy Commendation Medal. He entered law school at the University of Houston Law Center after leaving the Marine Corps.

He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and former adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center. In 2002, Buzbee was recognized by his peers in the Texas Lawyer, as one of the Top 5 “Go To Lawyers” for Commercial Litigation in the state of Texas.

Two of his notable cases include one in 2009 where a federal jury in Galveston awarded $100 million to 10 of Buzbee’s clients who alleged toxic exposure related to chemical discharge at the BP Texas City Plant -- the largest verdict recorded against BP -- as well as a settlement on behalf of 10 boys against Cadillac Ranch creator and owner Stanley March, III (2012).

Buzbee offers internship opportunities for students, and has selected his first from Texas A&M University School of Law, 1L Shawn Johnson, to work at his Houston location for six weeks this summer. Johnson is eager to start working for the firm. “I admire what he’s done for the university and community. He really is a philanthropist. I’m happy I’ll get to work with one of the best litigators in Texas,” Johnson said.

9th Annual Tarrant County Courthouse Muster - April 17, 2014

Dan Price — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 20:16:03 GMT

9^th Annual

ATM

Courthouse Muster

Howdy!

It is that time of year again. The Tarrant county Courthouse muster will be on Thursday,

April 17, 2014 . We will meet at angelo’s bbq starting around 2:30 PM.

Come share your stories and memories of Texas a&m along with us. Feel free to invite any other aggie lawyers or others who you think need to join us.

“If there is an A&M man in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.”

New Job Posting in the Members' Section

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 20:10:13 GMT

Please visit the job board to review the latest job postings.

The Sports Symposium to be held at TAMU Law School on 4/25/14

Dan Price — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 14:47:29 GMT

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER for the 15th Annual Conference of the TABA

Dan Price — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 13:46:01 GMT

Howdy Ags!

Today, 2/21/14, is the LAST DAY to register for the 15th Annual Conference of the TABA is FRIDAY, 2/21/14. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m., 2/21/14.

To register, please visit: www.aggielaw.org/Conference

DEADLINE to Register for Annual Conference is FRIDAY, 2/21/14.

Dan Price — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 14:41:08 GMT

Howdy Ags!

The deadline to register for the 15th Annual Conference of the TABA is FRIDAY, 2/21/14.

To register, please visit: www.aggielaw.org/Conference

New Job Posting in the Members' Section

Dan Price — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 16:56:11 GMT

Please visit the Job Board to review the latest job posting.

Parking for the 15th Annual Conference

Dan Price — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 16:25:58 GMT

The TABA has arranged for two free parking locations on campus for the 15th Annual Conference of the Texas Aggie Bar Association on 3/1/2014. Attendees may park in surface Lot 62, between the West Side of Kyle Field and Wellborne Road, or attendees may park in the Association of Former Students' parking lot at The Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center (enter the lot from George Bush Drive).

Attendees may also park in Koldus Parking Garage at their own expense.

Fidel Rodriguez, Jr. '73 Named 2014 Aggie Lawyer of the Year

Dan Price — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:35:18 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is proud to announce that Fidel Rodriguez, Jr. '73 has been named the 2014 Aggie Lawyer of the Year.

Mr. Rodriguez is a resident of San Antonio and a 1973 graduate of Texas A&M University. After graduating from Texas A&M, Mr. Rodriguez served in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged as a captain in 1977. He received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio and he graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1980. He is the primary shareholder in The Law Office of Fidel Rodriguez, Jr.

While a student at Texas A&M, Mr. Rodriguez majored in civil engineering and was a member of the Corps of Cadets. He was a member of the Ross Volunteer Company and he was selected to be the commander of the First Wing during his senior year.

Mr. Rodriguez has been a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 2001. He is an active member of the San Antonio Bar Association and served as the organization's president in 1994-1995. He served as a board member of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization from 1998-2004.

He has been an active supporter of the Mount Sacred Heart School, serving as president of the Parent/Teacher council. He is also a member of the board of directors of the San Antonio Chapter of the 100 Club, an organization that supports the families of fallen police officers.

He is married to Anabel and they have three children, Fidel III, Carlos, and Analisa. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Rodriguez on his selection as the 2014 Aggie Lawyer of the Year!

The Texas Aggie Bar Association congratulates all of the nominees and finalists for this award. You make us all proud to be Aggie lawyers.

Mr. Rodriguez and the TABA Scholarship Recipients will be honored at the Annual Conference Reception and Banquet at the Memorial Student Center on Saturday, March 1, 2014. We hope to see you all at the Annual Conference. Register today at www.aggielaw.org.

Aric Short, Dean of TAMU School of Law, to Speak to Houston A&M Club on 11/25/13

Dan Price — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 16:24:29 GMT

Aric Short, Interim Dean of Texas A&M University School of Law, will be speaking at the Traditions Lunch of the Houston A&M Club on 11/25/2013, at noon.

Day: November 25, 2013

Time: 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. (Buffet available from 11:30 A.M. to 12:15 P.M.)

Where: HESS Club (in the Galleria at: 5430 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056) with complimentary parking.

For more information, please visit: http://www.houstonags.org/monthly/traditions/

Texas A&M Law School Named Fort Worth Business Press “Smart Moves” Award Winner

Dan Price — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 15:57:16 GMT

Texas A&M University School of Law has been named a 2013 “Smart Moves” award winner by the Fort Worth Business Press.

The award recognizes 10 local businesses for success, growth and smart moves over the past year.

http://kagstv.com/News/KAGSNews/ID/996/Texas-AM-Law-School-Named-Fort-Worth-Business-Press-Smart-Moves-Award-Winner

Texas Aggie Bar Association Scholarship Applications NOW AVAILABLE

Dan Price — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 04:05:01 GMT

Each year the TABA funds scholarships to assist first-year Aggie law students with law school expenses.

You are eligible for this scholarship if you meet the following criteria: either (1) you are a student or Former Student that has completed at least 40 undergraduate hours at Texas A&M University and intend to begin law school in the Fall of 2014, or (2) you have been accepted to Texas A&M University School of Law and will begin enrollment at Texas A&M University School of Law in the Fall of 2014.

Scholarship applications must be received no later than 1/15/2014, at 4 p.m., and will only be accepted by e-mail to mailto:TABAscholarship@gmail.com.

Scholarship Applications are available here: TABA Scholarship Application 2014.pdf

Texas Supreme Court to Hold Argument TOMORROW, 11/7, at Rudder Auditorium

Dan Price — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 03:45:23 GMT

Texas Supreme Court to Hold Argument TOMORROW, 11/7, at Rudder Auditorium. For more info, visit: http://tx.ag/ei6u2y

TABA is Now Accepting Nominations for the 2014 Aggie Lawyer of the Year

Dan Price — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:41:48 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is now accepting nominations for the 2014 Aggie Lawyer of the Year. To nominate an Aggie lawyer, please submit an application on or before December 31, 2013. Nomination forms are available here: 2014 Nomination Form.pdf

The ALOY Committee will consider the nominee’s achievements over the course of their legal career as an Aggie lawyer (i.e., evaluation not limited to events that have taken place during the last year). Criteria considered includes professional accomplishments, community involvement, a legal practice that embodies the ideals of Texas A&M University, etc.

TABA Board members can neither nominate nor be a nominee for Aggie Lawyer of the Year.

Please direct all questions regarding Aggie Lawyer of the Year nominations to Sam Udovich at aggieloy@gmail.com.

Dr. Loftin Announces Establishment and Operation of Texas A&M University School of Law to TABA

Dan Price — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 23:28:05 GMT

Please see the following letter from Dr. R. Bowen Loftin to the TABA announcing the establishment and operation of the Texas A&M University School of Law.

LS-Aggie Bar Letter 8-12-13.pdf

It's an exciting time to be an Aggie Lawyer!

Save the Date October 19, 2013, to Attend the TABA Annual Tailgate

Dan Price — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 17:00:40 GMT

Howdy Ags!

Please Save the Date October 19, 2013, to attend the Texas Aggie Bar Association's Annual Tailgate.

The Tailgate is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the game day atmosphere on-campus with fellow TABA members, and watch the Fightin' Texas Aggie Football Team Beat the Hell Outta Auburn! The event will be produced by the Tailgate Guys and will feature food, adult beverages, and a TV with satellite dish to watch the game. Registration will be available on the TABA website 60 days before the Tailgate.

We hope to see you in College Station on October 19, 2013.

Texas A&M Law School Update - A Message from Dean Short

Dan Price — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 21:36:38 GMT

Here's a message from Dean Short regarding the developments and status of Texas A&M's law school venture:

Dear Texas Aggie Bar Association Members,

Howdy – and warmest greetings from the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. This is an exciting time of the year for our law school, as we prepare to welcome another talented group of 1L students. And this year, the excitement level is even higher as details are finalized for our transition to Texas A&M University. We are absolutely thrilled to be joining the Aggie community, and I look forward to working with all of you and the Texas Aggie Bar Association in the future.

To keep you in the loop on our transition, I would like to provide a little background and a sense of what we expect to happen in the weeks ahead.

· We have worked closely with Texas A&M University and Texas Wesleyan University over the past year to ensure that all accreditations and approvals transfer to the new law school. In January, Texas A&M University was granted approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer a JD degree. And in June, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (the regional accrediting body for both universities) approved the acquisition.

·The final accreditation step in this process is the American Bar Association. Last fall, we submitted - after lengthy discussions with Texas A&M University - an application to the ABA to approve the acquisition and transfer accreditation to the new law school. After various other steps in the process were completed, the Accreditation Committee for the ABA’s Section on Legal Education recommended in June that our application be approved. On August 9^th, representatives from Texas A&M University, Texas Wesleyan University, and I will appear before the ABA’s Council, which will ultimately decide whether to grant the application.

· If and when the Council approves our application, a series of steps will be set in motion to make sure enrollment statuses and financial aid awards are in place for our students. We expect the transition to Texas A&M University ownership to occur sometime around August 15^th, just in time to begin fall classes on August 19^th under new ownership.

· Although we have worked tirelessly over the last year to make sure this transition is a success, there are some aspects of our new operation and organization that will not be finalized by August 15^th. We expect to have a period of transition - perhaps up to one year - as we work through all of those issues.

This is a momentous and historic time for our law school. I am very proud of the strong academic program we have built here and the successes our graduates have enjoyed. As a part of Texas A&M University, and with the support of our collective communities, I firmly believe that our brightest days are ahead. I look forward to the opportunity to share with you more about our school and our vision for its future. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Gig 'em!

Aric K. Short
Interim Dean and Professor of Law

Texas Wesleyan University School of Law

SPOTLIGHT ON: Matthew Struble '13 (2013 TABA Scholarship Winner)

Dan Price — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 15:15:23 GMT

This is the second in our "Spotlight On" series where we provide our members with information on the winners of the TABA scholarships that your membership dues fund

Matthew Struble '13

Mr. Struble, a second-generation Aggie, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Economics and Political Science, along with a Business minor this May. He completed a research thesis with the Department of Economics, earning the distinction of Undergraduate Research Scholar. While at Texas A&M, Mr. Struble served as president of the Beta Upsilon Chi (Brothers Under Christ) fraternity, a student senator, and a member of the Chancellor's Student Advisory Council. He will be attending law school at the University of Pennsylvania this fall.

"I am humbled and honored to receive this scholarship from the Texas Aggie Bar Association," said Mr. Struble. "It is truly a blessing to have Aggies who have gone before me take an interest in helping me pursue my legal education, and I would like to thank each of you for your generous gift. I was glad to be able to attend this year's conference and to meet so many kind and impressive Aggie lawyers. This is an incredible group of former students that I am excited to be a part of going forward."

We congratulate Mr. Struble and are certain that he will have a long and illustrious career as an Aggie lawyer as he continues to be guided by the Core Values of Texas A&M University: Loyalty, Integrity, Excellence, Leadership, Selfless Service, and Respect.

No scholarships would be possible without our members. The TABA Scholarship Committee endeavors to ensure that each TABA scholarship is awarded to an Aggie that we will we all be proud to welcome into the profession some day.

Thank you for supporting the Texas Aggie Bar Association.

New Jobs Posted on the TABA Website

Dan Price — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:47:27 GMT

To learn more, please log-in and visit: http://aggielaw.org/Job_Board.

Bill Jones '81, 2010 Aggie Lawyer of the Year, To Be Campus Muster Speaker

Dan Price — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:53:23 GMT

Bill Jones '81, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System and 2010 Aggie Lawyer of the Year will be this year's Campus Muster Speaker.

For more information, please visit: http://tamutimes.tamu.edu/2013/04/12/former-regent-selected-as-campus-muster-speaker/

Chuck Ellison '76 Named 2013 Aggie Lawyer of the Year

Dan Price — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:11:42 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is proud to announce that Charles A. (Chuck) Ellison '76 has been named the 2013 Aggie Lawyer of the Year.

Mr. Ellison is a longtime resident of the Brazos Valley, and a 1976 graduate of Texas A&M University. After receiving his law degree from The Texas Tech School of Law in 1979, he spent four years in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. Mr. Ellison is an "AV" rated lawyer by Martindale Hubble currently practicing real estate and transactional law at The Ellison Firm in College Station, Texas.

Mr. Ellison has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley and is chair of the Ethics Committee of Hospice Brazos Valley. He is on the Advisory Council for the Texas Transportation Institute and served as Chair of the Campaign Drive for the United Way of the Brazos Valley in 2003. He is a graduate of Leadership Brazos and the Brazos County Regional Leaders Forum. In addition, Mr. Ellison has served on the Board of Directors of several banks and businesses in the Brazos Valley.

Since graduating from A&M, Mr. Ellison has continued to serve the University in several capacities. He served on the Texas A&M Vision 2020 Mid-Term Review Task Force, the Texas A&M University System's Chancellor's Century Council Executive Committee, and is currently serving on the Development Council for the George Bush School of Government and Public Service. In 2004, Mr. Ellison served as President of the Association of Former Students. In addition, he has also served as a board member of the Brazos County A&M Club and the Texas A&M University Corps Development Council.

He is married to Tedi and they have two children, Kim and Courtney, and two granddaughters Kathryn and Karter.

The Texas Aggie Bar Association congratulates all of the nominees and finalists for this award. You make us all proud to be Aggie lawyers.

Mr. Ellison and the TABA Scholarship Recipients will be honored at the Annual Conference Reception and Banquet at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center on Saturday, March 2, 2013. We hope to see you all at the Annual Conference. Register today at Annual Conference.

Rising Aggie Law Students: Apply for a Texas Aggie Bar Association Scholarship

Dan Price — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:26:05 GMT

Each year the TABA funds scholarships to assist first-year Aggie law students with law school expenses. Only students or Former Students that have completed at least 40 undergraduate hours at Texas A&M University and intend to begin law school in the Fall of 2013 are eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Scholarship applications are available here: TABA Scholarship Application 2013.doc.

DEADLINE: To be considered for a 2013 scholarship, all applications must be received at TABAscholarship@gmail.com no later than 4 PM CST, Wednesday, January 23, 2013.

Do Your Civic Duty: Vote Johnny Football for Heisman!

Dan Price — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:48:03 GMT

Howdy Ags,

Nissan is giving its official Heisman vote to the college football fans, and Johnny Football needs your help to get out the vote.

Please visit the following link to vote for Johnny Manziel for Heisman:

http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/nissan/heisman/2012/ballot/voteHeisman

Thanks and Gig 'em!

Free CLE on 8/15/12 for TABA Members

Dan Price — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:38:26 GMT

What Every Lawyer Should Know About Intellectual Property

The Texas Wesleyan School of Law Alumni Association is sponsoring a one-hour CLE on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 and has extended an invitation to all Texas Aggie Bar Associaton members to attend the CLE for free (lunch included). If you would like to attend, please RSVP by Friday, August 10.

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Time: 11:30am

Location: Fort Worth Club

306 West 7th Street

Fort Worth, TX 76102

Cost: Free! (lunch included)

Please RSVP by August 10 to alumni@law.txwes.edu or 817-212-3932.

The presentation will provide an overview of intellectual property law, including the creation, registration, acquisition, and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the United States. The primary intellectual property rights to be discussed will be patents, copyrights, trademarks/trade dress, and trade secrets. The program will also address the impact of technology on intellectual property rights and some of the challenges posed by technology in securing and protecting those rights.

Speaker: Mike Regitz

Mike Regitz is a Senior Associate in the Dallas office of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. His practice focuses on general commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation, including cases involving patent infringement, copyright infringement, trademark and trade dress infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and unfair competition claims. Mike is a graduate of Texas A&M University and the SMU Dedman School of Law. He is licensed to practice in Texas, various federal courts, and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mike currently serves as president of the Texas Aggie Bar Association.

Click here for more information

Passing of TABA Board Member Keith Krueger

Mike Regitz — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:02:13 GMT

Keith Krueger, Texas Aggie Bar Association Board Member, our colleague, and our friend, passed away on Saturday, July 14, 2012.

Please keep Keith's family in your thoughts and prayers.

Visitation:
Wednesday, July 18, 5-8 p.m.
Brenham Memorial Chapel Funeral Home
2300 Stringer St.
Brenham, TX 77833

Funeral:
Thursday, July 19, 11:00 a.m.
Grace Lutheran Church
1212 Jefferson Street
Brenham, TX 77833

Burial:
Thursday, July 19, 2:00 p.m.
Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
2565 Pilgrims Rest Road
Bellville, Austin County

Donations in lieu of flowers can be given to the charity of your choice or
to the following:

Bethel Lutheran Church
4221 Boonville Road
Bryan, TX 77802

Texas Aggie Bar Association Letter to Board of Regents

Mike Regitz — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 21:48:35 GMT

On July 6, 2012, the Texas Aggie Bar Association sent a letter to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents extending congratulations and support for the proposed Texas A&M University School of Law at Texas Wesleyan University.

Click to view the letter

Interview of Richard Garza, Principal of Aggie 100 winner Garza Program Management

Ross Robinson — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:33:11 GMT

Texas Aggie Bar Association: Please tell us what Garza Program Management does.

Richard Garza: We are in the business of providing project-management and cost expertise to institutional and commercial real-estate users. That involves everything from commercial real-estate brokerage, site collection, and all the other traditional services you would see in a traditional brokerage house for a typical private-sector client. A third of our business caters to the public sector, including developing budgets and putting together information for bond referenda.

Richard Garza

Texas Aggie Bar Association: How did you get into this industry?

Richard Garza: My father was the small residential home builder and remodeler in Galveston, so I grew up in the single-family side of the business. I went to Texas A&M and got into the Construction Science Department in the College of Architecture, which I found to be a degree I enjoyed and did well in.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: Tell us about Garza Program Management’s selection as one of the Aggie 100.

Richard Garza: One of our employees nominated our company. The award is based on growth over the previous three years. We have had 72% growth over the last 3 years, which is something we are very proud of.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: You narrowly missed making the top 10, right?

Richard Garza: We ranked number 11, which was kind of shocking. We knew we had done really well, but we didn't know how well.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: What do you attribute your growth to, particularly when it's been a down economy for construction?

Richard Garza: I attribute it primarily to relationships I cultivated throughout my career. The ability to earn trust so that clients know we will deliver for them is critical. Perseverance also played a big part. In addition, the public sector had ARRA tax-credit bonds to sell, so it was extremely advantageous for them to borrow money at attractive interest rates.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: Describe who usually hires you and what you are hired to do.

Richard Garza: On the public-sector side, our clients are entities like school districts, community college districts, counties, cities, municipal utility districts, airport authorities, and university systems. They often have a pretty lean staff and know they have a need but can't quantify it into dollars, so they hire us to come in and do preliminary budgets, partner with an architect, and take raw data that describes their needs and create an all-inclusive budget for the project. We also help clients promote the project to the public so that it becomes a bond program. After that, we often manage the bond program on their behalf. On the private-sector side, we help businesses with capital project requirements that need assistance pulling off a project.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: What do you think about the new public-private partnership legislation?

Richard Garza: I suspect we are going to see a lot of growth in the public-private partnership mode of procurement going forward. I understand that there is a mode of submitted unsolicited public-private partnerships to public entities. I am curious to see how that goes forward.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: As a successful business owner, what advice do you have for Aggie lawyers?

Richard Garza: Define the objectives of your clients early on and reconfirm those objectives during the course of the work you do for them. Legal work can have a way of getting off track, which is often when disputes arise. I would encourage them to revisit the client’s goals and expectations frequently. In addition, be as lean as possible. I'm looking for people that are knowledgeable and get to the point. Substance, not fluff, is very important to me.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: What's the best advice you've given anyone?

Richard Garza: Build, earn, and keep trust. People do business with people they know and have developed a trust relationship with over time. That is where your clients are going to come from. That's where the bulk of your billings are going to come from. Try not to let anything get in the way of trust. That's probably the best advice I can give.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: What is the best advice you've gotten?

Richard Garza: Do what you do best and hire others to do the tasks you don't do well. For example, spend money on good accountants, good attorneys, and good marketing people, if you don't know how to do those things.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: What's the biggest challenge in what you do?

Richard Garza: Communication with those outside my industry. Sometimes I’m too close to the business, so when I meet people that are not associated with the real-estate industry or the architectural/engineering/construction industry, it is often difficult to help them understand what we do. As a result, I have really tried to tone down the message on our website. It's very specific. We are real-estate design and construction advisors. I have worked to boil it down to a few words so people can digest it more easily.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: What do you enjoy most about your work?

Richard Garza: Helping people accomplish their capital projects. It's fascinating how people interact to solve a problem. The interdisciplinary approach required to get projects done, involving attorneys, architects, engineers, owners, and users, is a lot of fun.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: What is the most productive way to develop trust among these different players involved in a project?

Richard Garza: Trust is built over time. It’s key to find team members that are going to be the best solution for the problem very early on in the project and develop a collaborative spirit on the project using an integrated project-delivery (IPD) method. This is a trend that I think will continue.

Texas Aggie Bar Association: How can people find out more about Garza Project Management?

Richard Garza: The easiest way would be to go to our website at www.garzapm.com.

Interview of Vicki Niedermayer, CEO of Aggie 100 winner Helping Restore Ability

Ross Robinson — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:15:34 GMT

Vicki Niedermayer

What is Helping Restore Ability?

Helping Restore Ability is an independent non-profit agency that serves the entire state of Texas. We assist people with physical disabilities so they can participate fully in society and live independent and active lives with dignity, respect, and care.

We provide home-attendant care to clients with severe physical disabilities, including senior citizens with age-related disabilities.

The care includes assistance with basic daily living skills. Our services are offered on a sliding-fee scale and are provided for those who may not have the financial ability to pay. With Helping Restore Ability's assistance, people who would otherwise most likely be dependent on institutions for care can stay self-sufficient with dignity.

Helping Restore Ability is a recent Aggie 100 winner. This is a very nice honor. Please tell us about that.

In one word, “Wow!” As the CEO of Helping Restore Ability, the nature of the beast is that I do a lot of administrative work and don't, on a day-to-day basis, get to immerse myself in an environment in which I can learn from others in the business world. During a typical day, I'm the leader, so I'm mentoring and teaching and coaching and educating others. Being the CEO of one of the Aggie 100 has allowed me to be in the same room with many others I can learn from. That has been a tremendous gift.

The Aggie 100 is not really about me. It is about me in that I am the CEO and an Aggie; however, the award is a reflection of the work our team has done.

Therefore, when I accepted the award, it was with our team behind me. I brought that back to them and said, “Look what we did!”

Never mind the fact that I got to have my picture taken with Reveille. That was a big deal for me!

How did you get involved in this field?

I went to Texas A&M and got a degree in Psychology. After I graduated, there was a big push to deinstitutionalize people who had mental retardation or autism. I went to work for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (“MHMR”) and helped open a group home in Tarrant County. I focused on working with people with disabilities. I just loved my kids with autism. I later became a director over all of MHMR’s residential services, which grew to 24 programs. I worked for MHMR for 17 years.

If you weren't the CEO of Helping Restore Ability, what do you think you’d be doing?

I probably would be in the medical field. Nursing or therapy of some sort. Perhaps physical therapy.

What is the best advice you've ever gotten?

Pray first and then go with your gut. There are times I have regretted thinking with my head and not listening to my heart. I now know that I might not always be able to tell you exactly why something is not the right choice, but I often just have a feeling. I believe that trusting those feelings in very important.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Making a positive difference in the lives of others.

What's the biggest challenge in what you do?

In the non-profit world, the consistent struggle for funding is the biggest challenge. As a result, my philosophy is that, if you hit a brick wall, you have to find a way to go around. I don't take “no” for an answer. I try to be creative and come up with innovative ways to work with others to achieve the objective in question and serve others.

Where is your favorite place?

I have two, but not necessarily in order.

Number one is underwater. I'm a scuba diver, and I see diving as a glimpse into the majesty that heaven must be. 99.5% of the people on this planet never get to see that creation that exists, to see it and touch it and taste it and be immersed in it. The beauty that is there is unseen to the person standing on the beach. That beauty brings tears to my eyes.

Number two is with my family. My daughter is the apple of my eye and my husband is my partner in life.

As a $16-million enterprise, you probably come into contact with a lot of different professional service providers, including lawyers. What advice do you have for them?

If you have a heart for what you do, then it's not just a way to earn a paycheck. My experience has been that the biggest thing that makes a difference between someone who is a valuable partner for us versus not is those that really have developed a skill for listening.

Listen to what the person is saying to you, whether it’s a vendor, a client, or a person in the community. Don’t just hear the words. Find the message in those words and what's being communicated between the lines.

The most valuable providers are those that truly listen to what the need is. Not with an attitude of “what box does this fit in?” but rather “how can I really help this person?” That requires not just hearing with our ears but listening to the message and understanding what the need is and then trying to work to meet the underlying need. The truly valuable people to me are those that work with us to meet people's needs and have really learned how to and want to listen.

What are you looking to accomplish in 2012 at Helping Restore Ability?

We are continuing to look for ways to meet the needs of our community, our current clients, and the clients who will need us in the future. With the decrease in funding that's happening with managed-care implementation and state budget cuts, we have to offer services that are meeting the needs of the people who have real problems.

We want to get better at marrying our knowledge with the people who need help so we can be sustainable into the future and serve our community.

What do you wish you were better at?

Better at handling stress. I don't always take care of myself. I know it's an issue that I need to work on. I was in a car wreck that made me reflect a lot on what matters. Whenever something like that happens, it makes you think about your priorities. Taking care of myself the way I should is still a struggle.

What is one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you?

I took improvisational comedy classes and just loved them. I was not very good at it, but it was a lot of fun.

How can someone get more information about Helping Restore Ability?

Just go to our website at www.helpingrestoreability.org. If they have more questions, they can just give me a call and I’ll be glad to help however I can.

7th Annual Tarrant County Courthouse Aggie Muster

Dan Price — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:46:53 GMT

The 7th Annual Tarrant County Courthouse Aggie Muster will be held at the Railhead Smokehouse in Fort Worth on Friday, April 20, 2012, starting 2:00 PM.

This Aggie Muster started out very informally, but is now an event attended by many Aggie lawyers, including several Aggie Judges who look forward to the event every year.

All the Aggies in the area are invited to attend.

Are You Ready For Some Football? - Interview with Mickey Washington of Washington & Ernster, PLLC

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:44:23 GMT

Mickey L. Washington is a Houston-area labor and employment lawyer and a former professional football player. He will be speaking at the Texas Aggie Bar Association Annual Conference on March 3. His presentation is entitled Are You Ready For Some Football - A Discussion of the Legal Issues Related to NFL Football.

Mickey L. Washington

The Texas Aggie Bar Association recently spoke with Mr. Washington:

Q. What leads a gifted athlete to pursue a legal career?

A. Well, for me, there were four things that I wanted to do: I wanted to own my own business, I wanted to play professional football, I wanted to be an attorney, and I wanted to major in accounting. I got three out of the four. I actually did not major in accounting because I found I didn’t like it and it didn't work well with the long football practices. From a young age, I wanted to be an attorney because I thought that, if I was going to be an impact or an influence in my community, I needed to understand how our laws are written and possibly help write something to make a difference our communities.

Q. What aspects of being a player have changed over the years?

A. When I played, we didn't have personal trainers and, coming out of college, we didn’t have to fly somewhere different from our home towns to go workout for the pro day. You just really tried to perform within those four years. We weren't caught up in the commercial aspect of it. It was more about the camaraderie and no one was really focused on the money. We wanted to be the Franco Harris and the Walter Payton-type people, but we weren't looking at it from a standpoint of getting all the material things. It was a brotherhood that was very, very fun.

In college, I wouldn't even allow myself to focus on the NFL until my senior year. I always thought that if you're too focused on getting to the pros, then you're looking so far ahead that you don’t take care of today. I think the majority of our kids now are not looking at education. They're looking at trying to make the LeBron James-type money and the odds are just very, very slim.

For example, I wasn't the guy in my high school that was supposed to go pro. There was a buddy of mine who was a superstar. He was very talented, but he never appreciated the talent that he had; whereas, I had to work and continue working. That's why I say that the kids who take care of the day-to-day business will be the ones who will typically succeed.

Q. Do you think the league has a challenge preparing younger players for life after football?

A. It is a huge challenge, but it's a two-way street. The guy has to be extremely confident and have faith in himself to get to that level. The confidence and arrogance that makes him great, also will, at times, make him think he's invincible. He'll think that he can't be vulnerable to the things that other players before him had. There is a challenge by the league to get guys to the mindset that this game ends for everybody. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant Emmitt Smith, whoever their heroes are, they had to end at some point in time.

Q. Tell me about your law practice.

A. We primarily practice labor and employment law. We litigate primarily for plaintiffs but also a good portion for defendants. We handle labor and employment, business law, personal injury, and catastrophic personal injury. I also do transactional work and I represent companies like CITGO, some accounting firms, and franchisees and franchisors. We will also handle drafting basic policies and procedures for companies. On the labor and employment side, we typically get the majority of our calls from individuals so we have probably more plaintiffs' employee cases than we do defense cases.

Q. What is your role with the NFL Players Association ("NFLPA")?

A. Oh man, that keeps me so busy. I am one of the executive directors for the NFLPA and I'm also the Houston-chapter president for the NFLPA. During the lockout, we were voting on proposed terms and trying to communicate to all the current and former players around the nation as to what was going on.

Many people don’t realize that there are two segments of the bargaining process. The lockout involved the active and former players. However, the agreement for the former players was not completed until later. That portion of the agreement was not finalized until November or December. We are now educating everybody, including former players, as to what they're entitled to under this this new agreement.

The NFLPA keeps me in tune with what's going on with football. I was a union rep for about four years as a player. I also clerked at the NFLPA's office when I was in law school. So it's almost a no-brainer that I would work with the NFLPA in some capacity. As a baby player, I was trying to learn from the Reggie Whites of the day. I didn't have to necessarily go study the information; I lived it when guys were arguing with Gene Upshaw and the NFL.

Q. What do you like most about your job? What is the biggest challenge you face?

A. The thing I love most is I can step into any arena and have some degree of knowledge or know where to go to get the information. I can get involved and impact situations that I come across.

The downside is that I can't help everyone. I get tons of calls from employees, small-businesses, and football players who really need help. I'd love to be able to help more people, but sometimes it's just not practical to be able to help everyone. Ultimately, I end up at least trying to educate employees, as well as players, about their situations where they can at least have some foundation to build upon.

Q. What is the best bit of advice you've ever received?

A. Not to personalize so much. When I hear from clients that someone has been mistreated, not to take it personally so that I can still go home and sleep. My six-year-old daughter doesn't understand Daddy's stressed out about this chicken franchise losing money due to a breach of contract. So, I've learned to just be a little more lighthearted, and to enjoy the trip of life that we're on. Due to my profession, I get a lot of exposure to different things, so it's a great educational path.

Q. What was the best part about playing for A&M?

A. Oh that's an easy one. When I played, we were, as a team, a family. We had fun and Jackie Sherrill made it first class. Everything that I was associated with when I played at A&M, through Jackie Sherrill, was first class. Every function I attended, whether it was a bowl game, a banquet, or something else was first class. I know, in those days, other schools didn't have that.

Q. Any predictions for next season?

A. I was a little hesitant at first, but I think we'll be okay. What most people don't realize about the SEC is, after you get past LSU and Alabama, there's a drop off. Everyone else is basically a mid-level team. I think, with the recruiting class that we have, we're on the right path. I think we're going to surprise some people. Our only question mark is the quarterback area - who's going to lead us? However, when you've got great guys like Christian Michael back there, I think we can ride on his shoulders and be pretty successful.

Legal Issues in the War on Terror - Interview with Jeff Addicott of St. Mary's University School of Law

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:44:18 GMT

Professor Jeffrey F. Addicott, Director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary's University School of Law, will be speaking at the Texas Aggie Bar Association Annual Conference on March 3. His presentation is entitled Legal and Policy Issues in the War on Terror - 10 Years On.

Prof. Jeffrey Addicott

The Texas Aggie Bar Association recently spoke with Professor Addicott:

Q: Tell us about your service in the Army JAG Corps and how that led you to a career as a law-school professor?

A: I did 20 years on active duty in the U.S. Army. I was a Judge Advocate General (“JAG”) officer, which is a lawyer in the Army. My relationship with terrorism issues began when I volunteered to be one of the first JAGs assigned to the First Special Forces Group (Green Berets) out of Washington State. I worked my way up to become the Senior Legal Advisor (Staff Judge Advocate) to all the Green Berets in the U.S. Army.

I taught Terrorism and Operational Law at our JAG School in Charlottesville, Virginia where I picked up my Master of Laws and Doctor of Juridical Science degrees from the University of Virginia School of Law. I also had the privilege to work in the Pentagon in the International Operational Law Department of the Deputy Chief, so I've had a lot of experience in dealing with terrorism issues in the real world. I retired from the Army in 2000 and joined the faculty at St. Mary's. Shortly after 9/11, I founded and started the Center for Terrorism Law and we've been going strong ever since. Senator John Cornyn cut the ribbon at our inauguration in 2003.

Q: Describe the Center for Terrorism Law and your work with the Center.

A: There are about 200 ABA-approved law schools in the U.S. and St. Mary’s University School of Law is the only law school that has anything of this nature. When I founded the Center, I thought other law schools would figure out that this was something that they would want to be involved in. There are obviously a lot of new legal issues, including detention issues, the PATRIOT Act, civil-liberty issues, cyber, military commissions, etc. To my surprise, we are still the only law school that has anything like the Center for Terrorism Law.

Part of our mission is to represent soldiers. We have successfully handled many cases of our fighting men that were wrongfully accused of war crimes or violations of the rules of engagement. Of course, I have to be convinced that a soldier is innocent before the Center will assume representation. We are batting 100% so far. We've done two amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of our soldiers. I've also provided oral and written testimony before the U.S. Senate and before the House of Representatives. We have penned legislation for the Congress on various issues as well as provided input. I'm the only law professor that works in Guantanamo Bay on the side of the government regarding detention issues and military commissions. Numerous law schools have “clinics” that work on the side of the detainee, but I'm currently the only law professor that works with the government.

I lecture before the Office of Military Commissions. I reviewed the pleadings in the Hamdan military commission trial. I all lecture all over the world. Since the Center opened I've lectured at professional conferences in Colombia, Germany, France, Austria, India, Egypt, Kuwait, Panama, England, Mexico, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Israel, Russia, and Luxembourg. I've done over 500 public speeches and almost 2,800 media interviews for media outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Canadian TV, FOX NEWS, CBS, CNN, NPR, ABC, NBC, Al Jazeera, BBC, French TV, and Kuwaiti TV. Those of us with the Center are actively engaged in thinking about all the legal issues associated with terrorism and our use of force in wartime.

Our Center works very closely with the FBI Academy where I lecture at least four times a year. We have also published chapters in books for the FBI. In fact, I have authored well over 40 books, law review articles, and other publications on terrorism issues. My current book is: Terrorism Law: Materials, Cases, Comments 6^th Edition (2011). We have an extensive listserv were we put out information for free to the public.

Q: So the Center for Terrorism Law is the only law-school-affiliated center that advocates on behalf of the government in Guantanamo Bay?

A: The thing that's really amazed me is that there is nobody else that's working with the government to try and solve problems. It's nice to have a legal interest in both sides of an issue, but you would think that there would be a little bit more involvement from the law-school community, given that our country is trying to win a war. For instance, I was asked to debate the President of the ACLU, who is another law professor, about a year ago at a law school in Boston. Obviously, they must think that I am one of the most conservative law professors in the country because she's obviously one of the most liberal law professors in the country.

Again, I think St. Mary’s is the only law school that is engaging in this kind of work. By the grace of God, we have a $700,000.00 facility that was paid for through private donations. We operate solely on private donations and grants. We are a 501 (c) (3) so all donations are tax deductable. The University and the law school, while supporting us in many ways, don't provide funding for us to operate, so I'm also the chief fundraiser for the Center.

Q: Describe your experiences with the media on these issues.

A: This is not just a war about putting steel on target. This is a propaganda war. America is not good about winning the propaganda war. I've been amazed that people around the world automatically assume that our military tortures people as our standard operating procedure. These same people think that we are illegal by having GITMO operational. Sadly, this demonization of America is sometimes perpetuated by our own media. Accordingly, at every turn I bring people to the basics: “We are acting under the rule of law. That rule of law is the law of war and not the law of domestic criminal law. Therefore, in a war, we have the right to detain enemy combatants, to kill enemy combatants, and to use military commissions.”

However, it is tragic that politics also play a part in this war. We've seen that play out particularly with the Obama Administration. Just one example will do as this is rather common knowledge to clear thinkers. President Obama wanted to close GITMO. The propaganda message was that we had done something wrong. My question is this: "Well, what did we do wrong there? Why do you want to close it? What are we apologizing for?"

Q: What are some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the War on Terror?

A: Well, the biggest misconception is the premise. If we are not at war with al-Qa’eda, then we've done a lot of illegal things. We've detained people indefinitely without charging them with a crime. We've killed them on site. We've tried them by military commissions. We cannot legally do those things unless we are at war.

So, the real question is: "Are we at war?" If we are at war, then everything we've done is extremely lawful. But when we are playing in a vertical arena, as we are in this country, there is always one political party criticizing the other political party.

In particular, there is a lack of clarity from the Commander-in-Chief about this issue and that's what I find most disturbing. The current administration wants to have one foot in domestic criminal law and one foot in the law of war, so there is not a clear signal. It is not surprising then to discover that people criticize the U.S. as being illegal and operating outside the rule of law. The problem is that we are not getting a firm response from our leadership along the lines of "No, we are acting perfectly lawful because we are at war."

As a lawyer, the pertinent question is not whether we like something or not. The question is "What is the law?" There are a lot of things that I don't like, but the pertinent question is whether it is legal or not. If you look at our major Supreme Court rulings on this issue, all have held that we are at war. This is not a metaphor like the War on Drugs. Similarly, although our Congress has not declared war, they have certainly authorized war. Finally, both Bush and Obama have used their war-time authority against al-Qa’eda. It is the three branches of Government that tell us if we are at war, not the editorial writers for the New York Times or MSNBC.

This propaganda issue is evident among many of the law students I teach. I'll ask them when I start my course on National Security Law: "How many people think that we've water-boarded individuals at Guantanamo Bay?" About 9 out of 10 will raise their hands and say "Yeah, we water-boarded people at GITMO." They seemed shocked to learn that nobody was ever water-boarded at GITMO. It simply never happened.

So I challenge them and ask: "Where did you get that information? Who told you that, because you obviously believed it?" It's really a function of our society not getting clear leadership and not getting clear information. That's what our Center is trying to do. We are trying to fight the misconceptions: "Here are the facts, here is the law." We are trying to cut through all of the negativity and all of the false information about what's happening.

Q: What do you think is your biggest challenge? What do you enjoy most about your work?

A: Well, I think what I enjoy most is debating the issues and trying to put this information out in the public arena so people can understand what we are doing. We are the greatest nation on the face of the earth. We are right in what we are doing. As a military veteran and believer in America, I get very upset when people demonize our country and think that we are violating every law from A to Z.

The greatest challenge is staying afloat because, again, the Center for Terrorism Law operates independently of any other resources and we don't charge for what we do – not a dime. We put on about 3-4 conferences a year and we don't charge. We don't charge soldiers that are wrongfully accused of war crimes. I've represented soldiers in murder cases that were found not guilty. I'm currently representing a Marine that had his career destroyed because he killed the enemy in combat. It's really gathering the public support to do what we do. In a nutshell, that is the greatest challenge.

Q: Can you give us a preview of what you are going to be discussing during your presentation at the Texas Aggie Bar Association Annual Conference?

A: The main thing we are going to discover is that much of the information the audience thinks is true is actually false. That's going to be very entertaining and enlightening. For example, as I noted earlier, most of the audience will think we water-boarded people at Guantanamo Bay. Those same people will likely also think that water-boarding is torture. In fact, it's not torture. I will demonstrate all those things and try to set the record straight about what we are doing. I will also talk about the role that religion plays in the process. This is not a war against Islam.

Q: Where can we get more information about the Center for Terrorism Law?

A: Our website is www.stmarytx.edu/ctl. That would be a great place to start.

Unlearning Liberty - Interview with Greg Lukianoff of FIRE

Ross Robinson — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:00:19 GMT

Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education ("FIRE"), will be speaking at the Texas Aggie Bar Association Annual Conference on March 3. His presentation is entitled Unlearning Liberty: The State of the First Amendment on Campus.

Greg Lukianoff

The Texas Aggie Bar Association spoke with Greg recently about these issues.

Q: What is FIRE?

A: FIRE (www.thefire.org) is a nonprofit educational foundation based in Philadelphia. FIRE's mission is to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience - the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE protects the unprotected and educates the public about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them.

Q: Tell us about your background and how you ended up at FIRE.

A: I have actually been with FIRE since 2001. I came here by a fairly direct route. I went to law school specifically to study First Amendment law. It has been a passion of mine since I was young. I was a student journalist. If anything is going to make you realize how important freedom of speech is, it's being a journalist. You see very quickly how powerful the desire to censor speech actually is. Journalists learn that, regardless of the intention of a limitation on speech, it gets used against journalists almost as soon as it is available.

I credit multiculturalism for my interest in freedom of speech because I have a Russian dad and a British mom. I grew up in a neighborhood where people were from all over the place and nobody agreed on what was polite or what was honest or what was the right thing to say. It was really brought home to me by living in a neighborhood where just about everybody had some kind of different background.

In a generally pluralistic society, free speech should be the rule. If the price that you pay is occasional offense, that's a very small price to pay for the open flow of creative ideas. The perfect rule is that nobody gets to be in charge of what people say. Therefore, if you say something ignorant, you suffer the consequences socially. As soon as you put a person in charge of freedom of speech, shock upon shock, they have a tendency just to shut down opinions they disagree with and to impose their own idea of propriety. This is one of the reasons why it was so wise for the founding fathers to put freedom of speech as our very first amendment.

Q: Please comment on the status of free speech on the university campus today and the topics you will address at the Texas Aggie Bar Association’s Annual Conference.

A: Well, there’s a stark contrast between the law and what happens on campus. In the law, the freedom of speech of college students is very strongly protected. In practice, students suffer from speech codes and ridiculous punishments for their speech. In many cases, it's hard to even figure out what people found offensive about the speech in the first place. In some cases, you can understand why someone might not have liked the speech, but the idea that you could shut the speech down is just contrary to the law.

Freedom of speech on at least public college campuses very well-protected in the law. At private universities, they have to promise freedom of speech in their policies and most states actually recognize that universities can at least, to some extent, be held accountable for those promises. I'm working on a book right now called Unlearning Liberty that discusses these issues.

The premise of Unlearning Liberty it is that the kind of censorship I see on college campuses is so absurd and has been going on for such a long time that it's actually harming our entire country's ability, and even inclination, to talk through and debate issues. Universities, partially because of things like speech codes and repressive ideas about freedom of speech, have actually been fostering the societal polarization we're experiencing that has caused people to clam up or associate with people who already agree with them if there is any risk of getting in trouble for having the wrong opinion. This really damages the sophistication machine that a university is supposed to be. I point out in the book about how, during my time at FIRE, I've seen students get in trouble for having the wrong opinion on virtually every single hot-button issue, for simply being critical of the university administration, and for things that it is hard to even figure out how they're offensive in the first place.

A case I talk a lot about involved a student who was found guilty of racial harassment just for publicly reading a book. We have a case that we've been fighting for years in which a student was kicked out of school for a collage criticizing the president of the university's pet project, which was a parking garage. More recently, we had a student who was forbidden from graduation because he mildly criticized the university's handling of a tornado. It was one of those things that was so mild that it's hard to even figure out how it could have been considered offensive. As an example, there was a speech zone at Texas Tech University that was only a 20' wide gazebo for all 28,000 students to use.

This is precisely the opposite attitude you want to be cultivating for university students. It's virtually impossible to make an environment completely safe from any sort of emotional abrasion from other people. Besides, you don't really want that. Moreover, it is very difficult to engage in a robust inquiry and question anything when students constantly have to walk on eggshells.

Q: What are some of the results of this suppression of free speech we see on our college campuses?

A: Our universities are reaping what they have sown. If you want to have a meaningful discussion about issues, you have to actually make it so that people can engage in thought experimentation. Even devil's advocacy is essential to coming up with good ideas. Universities not only discourage that, but oftentimes actually punish students. I’ve seen this repeatedly over the past 11 years.

Q: Can you comment on the observation that, in many cases, the very administrative leaders in our universities today that are stifling free speech benefitted from the ability to exercise their own free-speech rights 30-40 years ago?

A: That's something that Alan Charles Kors talks about in the Generational Swindle (thefire.org/article/5567.html).

The idea is that the same generation that fought for free speech and benefitted from it is now in charge and has been cutting back on free speech like crazy. Just when their free speech battles had been won in favor of faculty and students, it was a very short time before universities started passing speech codes of their own based on entirely new theories.

This is something I think students should feel really betrayed about. The problem is that students are not actually taught about this. Students are not taught about their rights, which is bad enough. But they also are not taught that their rights actually come from a deep and profound philosophy about the way we inch closer to the truth, the way we actually make new discoveries, and the way we foster creativity.

Some of the best thinkers in human history have expanded on why open discourse and public exchange of ideas is ultimately just a win/win in every way, but when I talk to students today, I get the impression that they believe that as long as nice people are trying to shut down speech, it is OK. Of course, what often ends up happening is that free speech is shut down merely because an administrator does not like what has been said or simply does not want to be bothered.

Q: It almost seems as if the university has become more and more a tool for social engineering. Could you comment on this assertion?

A: That’s true. The scariest example of social engineering, which I often talk about, is the University of Delaware program. The University of Delaware program was an indoctrination program, for all 7,000 students at the University of Delaware, that included one-on-one sessions where students had to stand against one wall if they had the right opinions about social issues and another if they had the wrong ones.

They had mandatory questionnaires students had to fill out about what races and sexes they would date with the goal of getting students to become more open to date other races and sexes. It was an incredible invasion of privacy. It came with a speech code as well. It actually trained resident advisors to break up arguments on any topic when they heard them because that's not what they wanted going on in dormitories.

The role of what the university should be is often very fundamentally misunderstood. The University of Delaware program treated the university more like an old-school sort of seminary, where the idea is to put divine wisdom into somebody rather than to be an incredible dynamic environment in which everyone is involved in this grand conversation. At many universities, there are certainly administrators who not only think that there is nothing that can be learned from students' freedom of speech, but ultimately believe that students need to be punished until they have been conditioned to spout the company line.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for attorneys who are interesting in getting more involved with these issues?

A: Sure. First, we have a network of volunteer attorneys with whom we have worked with over the years to bring challenges to speech codes across the country. Every single one of those cases has been successful. The codes on many university campuses aren't anywhere close to constitutional. At the Conference, I'll share a lot of examples. I'll also briefly cover the case law, which has been uniformly on the side of freedom of speech on college campuses.

By joining our volunteer attorney network, attorneys can be notified when we have a case come up or have a potential challenge to a speech code. We also have a guide to freedom of speech on campuses, that was primarily written for students, that covers a lot of the basic cases. The first-amendment area of law that we specialize in is pretty straightforward.

Q: What is your biggest challenge and what do you enjoy most about your work?

A: One of my biggest challenges is fundraising. I am constantly trying to make people understand that what's happening on campuses harms our entire society and convince them that even if they don't have kids in college, they should care about these issues.

It's just undeniable that if you tinker too much with the marketplace of ideas, you are going to end up having worse ideas propagating. Going out and trying to find people who understand how important this issue is so that they will donate to FIRE is a really big challenge of my job.

The thing I enjoy the most is the writing. It's shocking to me how few people know about these utterly absurd cases of censorship that occur on college campuses. Today, it seems as if the press has just gotten used to the egregious cases of infringement of students’ free-speech rights, so they don’t get reported nearly as often now as in the past. At the same time, the actual process of trying to explain why this issue matters to the entire country is something that I truly love to do.

Texas Aggie Bar Association Dallas Happy Hour, 2/16, 6-8 p.m., @ Mario Sabino's

Dan Price — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:14:40 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association will host a happy hour in Dallas at Mario Sabino's on February 16, 2012, from 6 - 8 p.m. Come out for some networking, Ol' Army Good Bull stories, and the first adult beverage on the TABA.

We hope to see you there!

Mario Sabino’s

5404 Lemmon Avenue

Dallas, Texas 75209

Directions: http://g.co/maps/ehcms

Law Students, Spouses and Significant Others welcome!

James A. Creel '69 Named 2012 Aggie Lawyer of the Year

Dan Price — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:14:03 GMT

The Texas Aggie Bar Association is proud to announce that James A. Creel '69 has been named the 2012 Aggie Lawyer of the Year.

Mr. Creel has practiced law for over 35 years and currently practices at Brackett & Ellis, P.C., in Fort Worth, Texas. He specializes in tax law and is a leader in the legal community as well as a dedicated supporter of Texas A&M University. Over the years, Mr. Creel has served as President of the Association of Former Students, President of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County A&M Club, and Chairman and Trustee of the Texas A&M Foundation.

Mr. Creel is a 1969 graduate of Texas A&M University, where he was a Ross Volunteer and a Distinguished Student. After graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army where he served as an Artillery Officer. He graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1972 and practiced with Price Waterhouse and Company for several years upon receiving his law degree. Mr. Creel is a Certified Public Accountant and has been Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for over 25 years. As a long-time member of the Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Mr. Creel has served on the Board of Deacons and is a former Chairman of the Board. He has also served as Director of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and Chairman of the Board for the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth.

Mr. Creel is extremely proud that every member of his immediate family has earned a degree from Texas A&M University: Bonnie Creel ’10 (wife), Mary Katherine Stout ’00 (daughter), and Matt Creel ’10 (son).

The Texas Aggie Bar Association would like to congratulate all of the nominees and finalists for this award. You make us all proud to be Aggie lawyers.

We hope to see you all at the Annual Conference. Register today at www.aggielaw.org.

Former Aggie Lawyers of the Year

Bob Surovik (2011)

Bill Jones (2010)

Fred McClure (2009)

Louie Gohmert (2008)

John White (2007)

The Honorable Willie E.B. Blackmon (2006)

Arno Krebs (2005)

W. Mike Baggett (2004)

James "Jimmy" Bond (2003)

Henry Gilchrist (2002)

Joseph Searcy Bracewell, Jr. (2001)

Otway Denny (2000)

Texas Aggie Bar Association launches new website!

Kenneth Krock — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:00:00 GMT

After several months of development, the Texas Aggie Bar Association is pleased to launch its new wesbite. The website provides information concerning TABA's ever expanding events and member benefits. Please check back for new information.

Texas Aggie Bar Association hosts Austin Happy Hour

Kenneth Krock — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:00:00 GMT

On August 4, 2011, several Aggie lawyers gathered at the offices of McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore in Austin, Texas, to network with fellow Ags and share legal war stories, Aggie football predictions (11-1), and all around good bull. Thanks to April Lucas ‘01 of McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore for hosting a successful TABA happy hour.

Texas Aggie Bar Association hosts in 2011 Annual Conference and Awards Dinner

Kenneth Krock — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 23:00:00 GMT

On March 5, 2011, at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center in College Station, Texas, the Texas Aggie Bar Association held its 2011 Annual Conference. The Conference included a morning of CLE presentations by well known experts on a variety of topics designed to provide every practioner with the background he or she needs to recognize a client's legal problems and help the client obtain appropriate legal services. Presenters included Thomas C. Fitzhugh, III ('71), Francisco Maldonado ('99), Amanda Doslich ('02), Kelly Garrett Thorman ('94), and Kelly Jones ('83). In addition, Kirk McKinnon from the International Justice Mission spoke on how lawyers can use their knowledge overseas to help create and enforce human rights in developing countries.

The TABA Annual Conference included its annual awards dinner where it awarded its 2011 TABA Aggie Lawyer of the year to Bob Surovik as well as several scholarships to A&M students entering law school.

The Saturday events were preceded by a Friday night social dinner at the Corner Bar in College Station.